Subaru Impreza 4D

It has been a pleasant experience owning the car over the past 3 years. While one can expect maintenance costs to be slightly higher than its competitors, the Impreza delivers on road dynamics and relative comfort.

Driving the 2.0m verison . Love the handling of car when cornering at higher speed, not a problem at all. Love the car awd system when pickup quickly, very grippy. Drove lancer ex b4, when pickup fast,the front tyre will spin 😂

I drove the 1.5A on an 18'' and loved the handling and superb drive feel. Of course upgrading to an 18 fro 16'' costs me 50km in mileage but better drive feel. Engine was reliable the entire 3.5 yrs i had it and problem free.

Bought a 2nd hand 1.5r Auto 4D on Dec 2014 due to my prev ride Lancer CS3 COE expiring. Chosen this ride despite all the complaints on poor FC due to the price as its cheaper or on par with Avante, Cruze & Forte. This is the only jap car.( i am a sucker for jap cars due to reliability).

During the initial phase of driving, as I am used to cvt gearbox the 4 speed gearbox was a huge shock adjustment to my old style of driving. I was practically cursing and swearing at my ride on its pickup as its super underpower when I dun accelerate more than 2krpm(light footer) especially moving off slope, any vehicle can tia me easily. I can see all vehicles overtaking me super malu at the beginning.

Over the months that I drive till now 8 months later, I manage to grab the technique to handle the gear ratio and driving style. Pickup is much better due to my adjustment in driving style, at least not all vehicles can overtake me.

FC in the beginning was 9.4km/l after 2 servicing and changing of tyres my fc now is 10.6km/l for city and highway(50/50). My city ride to office involves a steep slope of 2km which explains my low fc for combined driving. If there is no slope, I believe will be much better. With few more oil changes will be more better. On expressway, I can achieve an avg of 13km/l but for my city slope I can only achieve an avg of 8km/l.

Other than the pickup compared to my previous ride everything was considered an "Upgrade" For me. So far nothing happens so far in terms of engine and overall reliability, except wear and tears as its a 5yr old ride which is normal and expected. I am quite satisfied with the ride so far despite the fc, i believe i still made the right choice of choosing this ride over the kimchis.

My aunt recently leased this car for a month, and while back in Singapore on holiday I had the chance to drive it a fair bit, and also spent a lot of time as a passenger while taking lifts from her, sometimes in the front passenger seat, sometimes at the back. Therefore, I write this review as both a driver and passenger, and if asked whether I would recommend this car, I would definitely say yes, but certainly not the 1.5l auto model. A manual one would give far more control over the power delivery and complement the many good points of this car.

The exterior was rather plain and nothing to shout about. The interior reminded me strongly of the 2005 version WRX I borrowed from a friend some time back. The seats were different and while not luxury grade, were definitely more comfortable and family-friendly than the WRX. The dashboard looked highly similar to the WRX, however the speedometer was larger (I recall the tachometer looking even more prominent than the speedometer on the WRX, for obvious reasons).

The front passenger seat was comfortable and the space in front of the seats allowed me to stretch a bit. The rear seats, however, did not offer much legroom, even though at 1.7m, I am not considered tall. If you have any family member or friend who is tall and will be taking rides regularly, do not consider this car unless you can allow him to sit in front! Apart from the limited legroom, the back row is quite OK as my cousins, who are not tall but quite fat, did not complain.

The visibility was quite a big issue for the driver. Although the mirrors did not seem small in comparison with other cars, they gave poor coverage of the sides, and the blind spot while driving was fairly large. This wasn't much of a problem to me as I have never lost the habit of turning my head to check the blind spots with every turn or lane change, but for complacent drivers who rely too much on mirrors, watch out. Also, I later found out that the A and B pillars were quite intrusive and in a position in which I had to lean forward every time to check traffic coming from the left and right at a T-junction - the two pillars effectively blocked off my view if I didn't lean forward.

I test drive Kia cerato forte and Kia cerato koup at leng kee...i even try Mitsubishi Lancer MX and Subaru Impreza 1.5R Manual on the same day...The sales person even get bored of me. hehehe. I'm a customer, and I'm buying something that satisfied me. Whenever the salesperson promotes the car, I don't really listen. I even ignore. hehe.. I follow my heart says.

At my first look on subaru 1.5R, Seriously... I find it ugly. I prefer the older version of subaru that seen on the road. More bigger and muscular look. Kia Cerato Forte and Koup has the best look ever. But, some negative that I don't like about it.

What I like about Subaru 1.5R Manual was the handling, safety and comfort which is very important in a car with my budget.

Almost 5months I been driving this car day and night to work. I'm a person who love to drive in Malaysia on weekends. I been to KL using this car about 8times after a month I bought it. This car is totally HARDCORE. It can goes up to 180km/hr. Tested with a friend of mine who are driving a BMW beside me on the highway to KL. The handling is very good at high speed and cornering.

The acceleration I give is 6/10. Its not that good in high speed acceleration due to its solid body. But, in terms of any crash, at least it save my live with its solid door.

The interior is the same like WRX. EXACTLY the same... the first day I drive my parents from Pasir Ris to Jurong..I wonder, they felt asleep just when I enter the Expressway. The AIRCON and the COMFORT makes ALL of us Sleepy...hehe. I give this 9/10. Disadvantage, make me sleepy too. Luckily now I'm used to it.

You should try cornering. Subaru is the car with AWD. All Wheel Drive which is similar with a 4 Wheel Drive. Less force needed on the steering. Sharp corners grips the car. If a normal FWD car, please don't try. Ever tested and accident before. hehe

The Engine is very good. Very silent when you ON it. No vibration at all due to its BOXER Engine Technology.

Test drove Avante, Cruze, Lancer Ex and Impreza to decide what my new ride would be. At the end of the test drives, it was very much between Ex and Impreza. Ex is really a beauty, exceling in both the exterior styling and won hands down with interior design.

What swung my vote towards Impreza was the exceptional handling of the vehicle. Engine was placed at the base for lower CG, mechanisms placed at doors to ensure they can be opened in event of crash, AWD ensures neither understeer nor oversteer unlike FWD or RDW. What's more it has won the safety award for small cars 2010 by Forbes recently (other winners include Honda Civic, VW Polo, Nissan Cube and Kia Soul).

Wanted to change to a new car and was considering a few brands: Mit Ex, Altis, Hyundai Avante, Forte, Peugeot, Citroen, Civic, and Mazda 6.

Test drove all of them and almost went for the Altis because it is most reasonable in terms of $, control, power and comfort. Never did I want an Ah Beng car but my wife said since I test drove so many already, just try la.

I tot the new look of the Impreza 2.0 4d-S was quite good save for the rear which looks rather cheapo. The Sale Rep just said why dun i just test and see first.

"ok lor" so I went. Wow! Was blown away by the handling and the pick up for the car. I was test driving at Leng Kee and I zoomed in and out, over taking easily but safely due to the car's fantastic handling. My wife was impressed too. Really tight, i mean at the corners, good grip, great acceleration and the engine sounds like u wan to push the car more.

Left the showroom, went home, did my finances and returned the next day to buy me a 2.0 that is worth every cent of the ride.

The design of the front is nice, better than the 'pig-nosed' design or the frog eyed designs of the previous models. Interior is average. Back is lacking in creativity and curves. Boot is real deep but a tad shallow but that can be countered by removing the spare tire and the foam support which actually can free you another 4 inches of vertical depth. 16" rims good and nice. Interior nice curves but a little too 'plasticky'. Cruise control, 3 types of drive mode available. Nice Wipers for greater aerodynamics. Adjustable lights and the red speedometer and RPM is nice.

Drive is fantastic, pick-up is super for its price range. Control excellent, easy to drive and turn. Braking is responsive and not too 'jiak'. the AllWheelDrive is shiok. Balance is great due to its central gear box and symmetrical engine design (unlike other jap/korean models). Important! The central seat belt is 3 point instead of 2 points, thus safer for the middle rear passnger too.

Test dove the 2.0 4dr Manual version, didnt push it to the max as it was raining at the time. Pick up is good and engine is quiet at 3-4k rev.

Power delivery is not a problem on this 2.0 like others have said. Have not tried the 1.5 model, went straight for the 2.0.

Shifting gears is easy and clutching is good. Driving pleasure definitely a plus point here with very comfy bucket seats.

Handling is standard subaru style with AWD, no problems!

Boot space is big enough for chld seat, pram and even a golf bag. Deep but shallow.

Interior space is also a plus point. With my seat adjusted near the back, the rear passenger still has much leg room! Only the person sitting in the centre wont be happy.

Interior design is a bit disappointing as the air con dials look very retro.

Overall it is a great car to own for this 2.0 model.

FC is not much of an issue to me.. Although i drive 70km just to get to work n home daily. Whats more important is to drive a car i like n enjoy driving it every day!

A lousy car get get me from point A to point B saving alot of petrol.. but... driving pleasure is PRICELESS!

Some ppl say that this car is ugly.. But there are many other uglier cars out there! This sedan model gives a 'executive' look and well it performs! Thats more impt!

Test drove this couple of weeks back...

Tried the 1.5L R(A) version

1st impression of it is the AWD is still as great as ever...

Cornering is still good as before too with much less bodyroll.

Further to this, Subaru had also made its engine quieter, similar to the Lancer EX, probably wanna target more as a family sedan with good

Disappointing is the pickup on the auto is not that good, according to salesperson, manual pickup is better for the 1.5L.

Accessories wise, only the electric folding mirrors are probably the additionals...

Boot space is also acceptable as well.

Overall, except for some little additionals, it should be an ok car to get.

I have just driven the car for one week and still happy i made the choice of changing to this car. Though COE was high but with the promotions, I do get the bodykits and change my headset to the latest touchscreen dvd player with Ipod, usb, GPS and reverse camera. This car also come with the latest compact IU unit which mean I could use my credit cards to pay erp also.

As mentioned by others here, pick up is weak but hey i still love the ride comfort with AWD and simply adore the exterior after installation of the body kits and changing of my rims to a 17" sport rims. Its really enhance the character of my Subaru.

I would recommend any person this car who wants to get a different kind of driving experience but don't if you just want a good fuel saving from a car.

Just thought I should contribute back, as this is one of the fourms that help me make the decision.

Have this Impreza 1.5R 4D for 2 months, and I just love it even more over time.

I was comtemplating between getting Toyota Altis, Honda Citi, and Subaru Impreza:

Altis - OUT even though 5 out of 5 friends recommended it to me. It just... not appealing externally and in its interior design. Although I must say it is a very practical car, i.e. low fuel consumption, alot of parts avail, low maintanence.

Citi - nice car with good power, but was put off by its price, and high insurance premium. Another thing I didnt like is its light steering control.

It was between Altis and Impreza for me (with my budget). Between heart and practicality, I chosed to go with my heart.

My feel about the impreza:

I do not like to be categorized as Ah Beng, but the new Impreza change my perception. The sedan has a good executive look yet it is sporty.

The funny thing is... after 2 months driving it, I actually become more Ah Beng in cars - I become more tolerant to all the car posers, even learn how to appreciate adding assessories to the car.

The control of the car is brilliant. I feel I am at full control of the car, at high speed or cornering. The driving experience is 'fun'.

The pick up of the car however is not great with the 1.5R model. Those who has more budget should go for the 2.0.

I noticed it at the test drive, and it is the same thing to my own car. However the pick up significantly improved after I run in the car at 1000km. It feel much smoother and faster now.

All in all, personally I think that at 50k, Impreza is the most value for money, especially if you are sporty person (or want to be one).

Just a bit of background.

I've been driving this car for the past 2 months. Previously drove 2 variants of sunny, honda civic, Camry and Epica.

With a baby on the way, I was looking for something ard 55k with decent boot size and not too "uncle" for a young dad.

So I test drove

-Corolla Altis

-SX 4 hatchback

-Honda Jazz

-Nissan Latio HB

In the end it was pretty much the head against the heart battle between the Altis and Impreza

From a value for $$ perspective (interior/comfort wise/fuel consumption/price) Altis would probably be the choice since it has the most frills such as climate control etc and is cheaper than impreza but what swung it for me was the driving experience.

The handling from Impreza is the best among all I tested.

In the end I bought the sports auto version.

I think it is generally accepted that the new Impreza doesn't look 'impressive'. The old Impreza has a 'love-hate' design while the 08 model is so middle-of-road that it looks just like any other Hondas or Toyotas (no offence). Heck, its looks are now so forgettable that new Subaru owners are probably no longer associated with "road rebels".

I've owned this car now for 2 months and the key swing factor in buying it is its price. $50.5k for 1.5 AWD, Auto with leather seats, Made in Japan and drives like a Conti / American.

The kerb weight at 1.3tons is heavy and feels good on highway cruising. But when mated with a 1.5l engine, feels very sluggish. Weight and AWD also takes it toll on fuel consumption. The 2.0l version is probably better powered (at only $7k more)

Handling is good and much lesser roll when cornering (esp when compared with my previous car). The heavy steering closely resembles Contis and feels really good on highway.

The price has probably appreciated by abt 5k, but there are not that many Made in Japan cars for this price. The closest comparable Lancer EX cost almost 10k more (with similar accessories).

I test drove the 2.0R(M).

Her feel is good, the car is not too light and not extremely heavy, she feels just right. Im not sure how the 1.5 feels like, but the power in 2.0 is definitely enough for regular Singapore roads.

If you are to compare her with the EX and Civic, i think your paying so much cheaper for exactly the same power. She comes with a boxer engine and a AWD system which makes the drive really smooth!

Imagine this for mods, decat the boxer engine (to get those gurgle sounds), tune her for better performace, add air boost and gear compressor to get those extra power for that initial get go and there you have a fairly cheap and powerful vehicle ready to challenge a wrx on the road. For those speed demons can consider installing a turbo to raise the Horse power by at least 100-150bhp